“And like a brave teenager, keep your cell phones on you. Law enforcement is ready to move quickly in any direction. Know how to speed dial 9-1-1.”

“Aren’t you asking for a lot of unnecessary panic by implying people aren’t safe in their own homes?” a reporter asked.

“We’d rather be a step ahead than a step behind,” Dan said.

At last, he was able to excuse himself.

He joined Katie, Axel, Ryder and Andre in Axel’s makeshift office at the NOLA bureau.

“Have they found Carly Britton’s husband yet?” he asked Axel as he fell into a chair. It had been a long day.

“No. Not at home. There’s an APB out for him,” Axel said.

“The man works at home, something with stocks, so there’s no office to try,” Andre said. “We’ve asked neighbors and others if they know any of his habits, places he goes, but apparently he and his wife were not friendly neighbors. They stayed in, and most people thought it was because they were snobs.”

Dan nodded.

Katie cleared her throat and spoke up.

“I keep thinking about the six. If we’re right on this... The real Brian and Aubrey might have been two of the six, with Neil and Jennie being another two. We know there is a head man, the big man who is copying the Axeman in his clothing and attacks. And now Carly aided and abetted the big man, and he killed her for her efforts. We don’t know if her husband is involved or not. The others are dead. They tried to recruit Dan’s client, Nathan Lawrence, but we don’t believe they succeeded. That means—unless they did fill their ranks—that only two remain alive. The big man and Neil Browne. And Neil Browne is in custody. The big man, the mastermind, whatever, is possibly out there alone.”

“Should we take another crack at him?” Axel asked Dan.

Dan looked at Ryder. “Do you want to talk to him? He’s being arraigned in the morning on the charges ensuing from the other night. Now might be a good time for him to bargain. With nothing but circumstantial evidence, attorneys from the state and the federal government are still working on how they want to press charges when it comes to the murders.”

“I would think they could get him on Brian and Aubrey and Jennie. Since there is written proof they were using their identities,” Katie said. “And I am happy to swear in any court of law they were on the boat the day my parents and Anita were murdered.”

Axel’s phone buzzed, and he excused himself to answer it.

He stood and stepped a few feet away to listen, then returned and sat down again.